Rae Walker
@raewalker.bsky.social
Tired trans nurse who studies A.I. & power
AAAS Invention Ambassador
They/them, probably a 🐉
#NurseSky #STS no longer a FAAN
Views always my own as a private citizen & not my employer’s (wild that I have to state this)
AAAS Invention Ambassador
They/them, probably a 🐉
#NurseSky #STS no longer a FAAN
Views always my own as a private citizen & not my employer’s (wild that I have to state this)
Reposted by Rae Walker
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
November 14, 2025 at 12:22 PM
Message to all faculty: your expertise is no longer trusted or valued at this so-called “university.”
Reposted by Rae Walker
a ‘human in the loop’ protocol is now a guardrail made of swiss cheese
Unfortunately the space of LLM code errors and the space of human errors are not the same, making hard-won code review instincts misfire
November 14, 2025 at 1:24 AM
a ‘human in the loop’ protocol is now a guardrail made of swiss cheese
Reposted by Rae Walker
what
“The prohibited activities would include joint research, co-authorship on papers, and advising a foreign graduate student or postdoctoral fellow. The language is retroactive, meaning any interactions during the previous 5 years could make a scientist ineligible for future federal funding.”
U.S. Congress considers sweeping ban on Chinese collaborations
Researchers speak out against proposal that would bar funding for U.S. scientists working with Chinese partners or training Chinese students
www.science.org
November 14, 2025 at 2:42 AM
what
Reposted by Rae Walker
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
NEW: The first two years of Massachusetts' millionaire tax has raised $3 billion more than expected.
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
And rather than driving the rich away, IPS researchers found that the number of millionaires has *increased.*
Tax the rich. Greg Ryan in @bloomberg.com:
Millionaire Tax That Inspired Mamdani Fuels $5.7 Billion Haul in Massachusetts
A millionaire levy in Massachusetts that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani holds up as a model for taxing the rich has generated $3 billion more in revenue than expected without forcing...
www.bloomberg.com
November 14, 2025 at 4:16 AM
And we knew this. This wasn't speculation. We studied it, we had the talking points. We trained volunteers to explain this to people. It's not a surprise. Rich people don't flee places with good quality of life when we increase the quality of life. They might try to cheat us, but they don't leave.
Reposted by Rae Walker
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
November 13, 2025 at 2:08 PM
NEW: @propublica.org investigated the Chicago apartment raid where kids were zip-tied and citizens detained for hours. They find:
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
- NONE of the arrested were criminally charged
- NO evidence the building was "filled with TdA terrorists."
- ZERO legitimate reason for DHS to rappel from a Blackhawk.
Opinion: Unless handed back to communities for the express purpose of reparations, supporting health & community care, “profits” generated from U.S. health care are blood money🩸
November 12, 2025 at 3:49 PM
Opinion: Unless handed back to communities for the express purpose of reparations, supporting health & community care, “profits” generated from U.S. health care are blood money🩸
Reposted by Rae Walker
I do not know the author, but this really chaps my hide. It reads like a blended smoothie made of the work of everyone in my field (myself included - ‘AI is a mirror’, okay) without attribution or even any mention of the field, nor a single one of us who have built it for the past decade. WTF
AI Regulation is Not Enough. We Need AI Morals
"The challenge of our time is to keep moral intelligence in step with machine intelligence."
time.com
November 12, 2025 at 10:53 AM
I do not know the author, but this really chaps my hide. It reads like a blended smoothie made of the work of everyone in my field (myself included - ‘AI is a mirror’, okay) without attribution or even any mention of the field, nor a single one of us who have built it for the past decade. WTF
As a Susan G. Komen Fellow & former VA employee who has studied cis men with breast cancer (who already face numerous challenges vis-a-vis screening & treatment), let me tell you that this is some bullsh*t. 😡
#ICYMI: A Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica sets up new roadblocks to care for male veterans with breast cancer.
The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive order about “restoring biological truth” in government.
By @ericumansky.bsky.social
The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive order about “restoring biological truth” in government.
By @ericumansky.bsky.social
Citing Trump Order on “Biological Truth,” VA Makes It Harder for Male Veterans With Breast Cancer to Get Coverage
A Department of Veterans Affairs memo obtained by ProPublica erects new roadblocks to care for veterans with the rare but deadly cancer. The agency cites no new science but relies on an executive orde...
www.propublica.org
November 12, 2025 at 3:55 AM
As a Susan G. Komen Fellow & former VA employee who has studied cis men with breast cancer (who already face numerous challenges vis-a-vis screening & treatment), let me tell you that this is some bullsh*t. 😡
1/ Having recently been in conversation with some bio fam down in deep red TX (lifelong Republican/Southern Baptist/homesteading & homeschooling “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” type folks)- I learned 2 things about attitudes towards single payer health care on which we can build:
November 11, 2025 at 1:49 PM
1/ Having recently been in conversation with some bio fam down in deep red TX (lifelong Republican/Southern Baptist/homesteading & homeschooling “pull yourself up by the bootstraps” type folks)- I learned 2 things about attitudes towards single payer health care on which we can build:
In the “richest country in the world”, agreeing that everyone (babies, pregnant people, youth, adults, older folks, etc) should have access to food, shelter, clean water, public education, health care, dental care & a living wage should be the *moderate* position.
Like - the basement-level bar.
Like - the basement-level bar.
November 10, 2025 at 2:32 PM
In the “richest country in the world”, agreeing that everyone (babies, pregnant people, youth, adults, older folks, etc) should have access to food, shelter, clean water, public education, health care, dental care & a living wage should be the *moderate* position.
Like - the basement-level bar.
Like - the basement-level bar.
Reposted by Rae Walker
“In reality, because targeting is so easy, we have seen governments use surveillance malware to spy on a broad range of people, including relatively minor political opponents, activists, and journalists…”
Why a lot of people are getting hacked with government spyware | TechCrunch
Government surveillance vendors want us to believe their spyware products are only used in limited and targeted operations against terrorists and serious criminals. That claim is increasingly difficul...
techcrunch.com
November 10, 2025 at 2:05 PM
“In reality, because targeting is so easy, we have seen governments use surveillance malware to spy on a broad range of people, including relatively minor political opponents, activists, and journalists…”
Reposted by Rae Walker
“The problem is that when it is installed in a health sector that prizes efficiency, surveillance and profit extraction, AI becomes not a tool for care and community but simply another instrument for commodifying human life.”
What we lose when we surrender care to algorithms | Eric Reinhart
A dangerous faith in AI is sweeping American healthcare – with consequences for the basis of society itself
www.theguardian.com
November 9, 2025 at 3:09 PM
“The problem is that when it is installed in a health sector that prizes efficiency, surveillance and profit extraction, AI becomes not a tool for care and community but simply another instrument for commodifying human life.”
So this is, uhhhhh, quite the take.
November 8, 2025 at 7:25 PM
So this is, uhhhhh, quite the take.
Should a man who has managed to extract & hoard more wealth than *anyone else on the planet* be compensated for these behaviors (in any amount)?
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/b...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/b...
Tesla shareholders approve $1 trillion pay package for Musk | CNN Business
Tesla shareholders approved a pay package on Thursday that could make CEO Elon Musk, already the world’s richest person, the world’s first trillionaire.
www.cnn.com
November 7, 2025 at 12:03 PM
Should a man who has managed to extract & hoard more wealth than *anyone else on the planet* be compensated for these behaviors (in any amount)?
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/b...
www.cnn.com/2025/11/06/b...
This thread is quite the ride…
A hearing is underway re: the American Association of University Professors et al v. Trump et al, Motion For Preliminary Injunction.
November 6, 2025 at 8:03 PM
This thread is quite the ride…
Reposted by Rae Walker
Remember, folks. We took one for the team. "affect recognition" is so bad it's beyond the realm of wrong and you might give yourself an ulcer having to debate it. SO WE MDE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE TO! Here's that link to our piece once again.
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
How Scientists Use and Abuse Portraiture
Many scientific studies assume that the features of painted faces are the facts of the flesh-and-blood countenances to which they refer. This assumption is not only false; it is preposterous.
hyperallergic.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Remember, folks. We took one for the team. "affect recognition" is so bad it's beyond the realm of wrong and you might give yourself an ulcer having to debate it. SO WE MDE SURE YOU DON'T HAVE TO! Here's that link to our piece once again.
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
hyperallergic.com/604897/how-s...
Truly a remarkable photo.
I hope the person who collapsed got the care they needed.
(Unlike so many who are currently being violently and unnecessarily denied their health, liberty or access to basic resources).
I hope the person who collapsed got the care they needed.
(Unlike so many who are currently being violently and unnecessarily denied their health, liberty or access to basic resources).
incredible photo that's definitely worth at least 1,000 words from Andrew Harnik of Getty
November 6, 2025 at 6:46 PM
Truly a remarkable photo.
I hope the person who collapsed got the care they needed.
(Unlike so many who are currently being violently and unnecessarily denied their health, liberty or access to basic resources).
I hope the person who collapsed got the care they needed.
(Unlike so many who are currently being violently and unnecessarily denied their health, liberty or access to basic resources).
Reposted by Rae Walker
Excessive force. PERIOD!
They called them “violent mobs,” but the violence came from the guys with badges and body armor.
📌 Keep sharing videos, everyone, because they’re evidence.
They called them “violent mobs,” but the violence came from the guys with badges and body armor.
📌 Keep sharing videos, everyone, because they’re evidence.
November 6, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Excessive force. PERIOD!
They called them “violent mobs,” but the violence came from the guys with badges and body armor.
📌 Keep sharing videos, everyone, because they’re evidence.
They called them “violent mobs,” but the violence came from the guys with badges and body armor.
📌 Keep sharing videos, everyone, because they’re evidence.
One wonders how many of these anonymous armed men in balaclavas & full battle rattle, busting into daycares and schools in broad daylight to kidnap & terrorize women and children, also have histories of domestic violence & SA, and/or
prior restraining orders against them.
prior restraining orders against them.
November 6, 2025 at 11:59 AM
One wonders how many of these anonymous armed men in balaclavas & full battle rattle, busting into daycares and schools in broad daylight to kidnap & terrorize women and children, also have histories of domestic violence & SA, and/or
prior restraining orders against them.
prior restraining orders against them.
Reposted by Rae Walker
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
OpenAI in Danger After Authors Suing It Gain Access to Its Internal Slack Messages
Authors and publishers, who are suing OpenAI, secured access to internal Slack messages and emails discussing the deletion of pirated books.
futurism.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:57 AM
“authors & publishers who filed a lawsuit against the Sam Altman-led firm have secured access to internal Slack messages… discussing the mass deletion of a pirated books dataset… A NY district court ordered OpenAI to hand over the communications regarding data deletion”
futurism.com/artificial-i...
futurism.com/artificial-i...
Reposted by Rae Walker
How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans:
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
How Big Tech uses NDAs to hide AI data center details from Americans
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:54 AM
How NDAs keep AI data center details hidden from Americans:
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
Big Tech companies use secrecy agreements with local governments to keep communities from knowing who is building in their backyards.
www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-ne...
You know it’s already *really* bad when even a media outlet that has uncritically & relentlessly cheered on the current A.I.stravaganza starts noticing that maybe aLL tHiS sHInY iNnoVaTiOn comes at a cost… 🙃
The rapid proliferation of services powered by artificial intelligence, ranging from the genuinely useful to the frivolous to the unnecessary, has a common element: the need for vast amounts of electricity and water for the data centers that make them possible.
The Unsustainable Strain Of AI’s Insatiable Power Needs
This week’s Current Climate newsletter also looks at how electric cars could get much cheaper and Rivian’s RJ Scaringe on China’s EV price advantage
www.forbes.com
November 6, 2025 at 1:38 AM
You know it’s already *really* bad when even a media outlet that has uncritically & relentlessly cheered on the current A.I.stravaganza starts noticing that maybe aLL tHiS sHInY iNnoVaTiOn comes at a cost… 🙃
Holy sh*t!!!!!!?!?!???!!!
November 5, 2025 at 2:46 AM
Holy sh*t!!!!!!?!?!???!!!
Reposted by Rae Walker
I keep seeing people say, oh, trans people must take a hit for the greater good and, first of all, no, you don't get to discard someone else's rights and second, we know from past experience that marginalized communities like theirs are merely the first to be targeted. They'll come for you next.
The White House plans to bar hospitals that treat transgender children and youth from getting any Medicare and Medicaid payments. The move would affect trans youth who have private insurance, too. n.pr/4qFa1mY
Trump pushes an end to medical care for transgender youth nationally
The White House plans to bar hospitals that treat transgender children and youth from getting any Medicare and Medicaid payments. The move would affect trans youth who have private insurance, too.
n.pr
October 30, 2025 at 11:56 PM
I keep seeing people say, oh, trans people must take a hit for the greater good and, first of all, no, you don't get to discard someone else's rights and second, we know from past experience that marginalized communities like theirs are merely the first to be targeted. They'll come for you next.
Reposted by Rae Walker
As a lawyer and democracy expert I cannot overstate how rock-solid the presidential term limit is. Thread.
October 31, 2025 at 3:07 AM
As a lawyer and democracy expert I cannot overstate how rock-solid the presidential term limit is. Thread.